Method and apparatus for separating rubber and fiber



C. W. KHLER, A. HOFFMAN AND W. B. FREEMAN.

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SEPARATI'NG RUBBER AND FIBER.

APPucATloN FILED JUNE 23.1920.

1,401,795, Patented Dec. 27,1921.

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narran stares raras-r carica. l

CHARLES W. KOHLER AND HARRY A. HOFFMAN, 0F AKRON, AND WALTER B. FREE- MAN, 0F CUYAHOGrA. FALLS, OHIO, ASSIGNORS TO'THE B. F. GOODRIGH COMPANY, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y., A. CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

METHOD ANDA'APPARATUS FOJR. SEPABATING RUBBER-AND FIBER.

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Application led ,Tune 23, 1920. Serial No. 391,178.

To allwhom tmay concern: l

Be it known that we, CHARLES W. KOH- LER and HARRY A. HOFFMAN, citizens of the United States, residing at Akron, and WAL- TER B. FREEMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cuyahoga. Falls, in the county of Summit and 'State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Method and Apparatus for Separating Rubber and Fiber, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the art of sepafrating rubber and lfiber from each other,

far as we are aware, to chemical methods,l

which usually result in destroyin the fiber, and to wet mechanical methods w ich, while enabling a considerable part ofthe ber to be recovered, are objectlonable on account of the 'drying step required.

The object of this invention is to -separate the rubber and the fiber in a dry state, without the use of chemicalsor water, and to recover a large part of both the rubber us overcoming the disadvantages above mentioned.

The accompanying drawing is a diagrammatic side elevation, partly in section, of an apparatus embodying and adapted to carry out ,our inventio 1 For breaking up the scrap material we prefer to employ a device known as na shredder, shown at 10` in the drawings and embodying arapidly-revolving rotor prol vided with 'a series of pivoted flails, arms or-hammers which vcoperate with a series of transverse stationary bars or knives to tearv the material apart. 10a is the casing of the shredder, and 11 isthe rotor yincluding a. circular series of pivoted hammers 12.

13 is the Vfeed hopper for thescrap 14, and

' 15, 15. are transverse bars or knives of triangular section forming a bottom grating against which the outer ends of the rapidlyrevolving, centrifugallyactuated hammers Specification of Letters Patent. Pwlutl D60. 27, 1921.

force the scrap and tear or shred it apart.

`The shredded'material passes through the grating into a receiving chamber 18, whichhas an air inlet 10", and from said ychamber itis discharged through an outlet pipe 19 leading to a fan blower 20. From said blower a delivery pipe 21 leads into a separating chamber 22 which it entersv with a downward discharge.

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In the lower part of the chamber 22l are a series of rotary paddles or agitators 23, 24, 25' for stirrlng the rubber particles to assist in liberating the loose ber. The floor of said chamber is formed w'th a relativelylarge opening 26 directly under which runs the upper stretch' of an endless-belt off-take conveyer 27 provided'- with cross slats or bars 28 of uniform thickness, preferably made of a yielding material such as sponge rubber, for discharging \from the separator the rubber lumps or particles which fall -to the 'bottom thereof. 128 is a receptacle positioned to receive material from said lconveyer. Y

29 is a discharge pipe leading ofi' from the top of the separator' in an upward directionv and provided with a pivoted valve Ior damper 30. his pipe enters. tangentially the upper par of the casing of a device 3l known as a cyclone separator which has a baiied pipe 32 taking the air current upwardly from an intermediate point in the separating chamber and discharging it 1nto the atmosphere, said separating chamber being of such capacity that the air current slows down considerably in making the turn into -the up-take pipev32 and allows the fiberto fall by gravity into the conical lower portion of the chamber and be discharged through a bot-tom pipe 33 into abarrel 34. l s

The several pipes, separator casmgs and blower casing form a continuous conduit for the passage of the air current, containing the propelling and separating mstrumentallties. The various-moving parts are drlv'en by an electric motor 35 through suitable belts and pulleys, but we have not attempt-u ed to show the necessary pulley ratios to give the proper relative speeds to these parts.

In operation, the rubber scrap 14 1sfed ber 18. From there, the air currentcaused bythe fan blower carries od the shredded material into the separating chamber 22.

As the current enters said chamber in a downward direction from above, slows down in said chamber due to the latters capacity and leaves in an upward direction, the rubber particles, being heavier than the ber` continue downward to the lower region o the chamber, due to their momentum as well as gravity, while the ber particles make the turn and are carried upwardly out of the chamber through the pipe 29 and on into the cyclone air-separator 31. rlthe agitators 23, 24, 25, keep the rubber particles in the lower part of the chamber 22 stirred up and assist in liberating into the air current any loose fibers still mixed -with the rubber.A Damper 30 enables the speed of the air current to be regulated so as to get the best separating effect. in the cyclone separator, the combined action 'of the centrifugal air swirl, and the forces of gravity and m0- mentum carry the particles of ber to the sides of the separating chamber and `allow them to fall down the sloping walls thereof while the air makes the turn into the pipe 32 and passes out in an upward direction, the ber being nally collected in the' receptacle 3ft.

The foregoing principles of operation may be carried out in dierent ways, and

the character of the several instrumentalities may be considerably varied without de parting from our invention.

We claim:

1. 'llhe method ot separately` recovering ber and rubberA from a disintegrated mixture of the two which comprises propelling the mixture on an air current, selectively separating the rubber from the mixture and then separating the ber from the air current.

2. IThe hereindescribed method which comprises mechanically shredding a rubber and ber structure, propelling the disintegrated mixture on an air current, and producing a change in direction of the air-cnn' rent and ber to cause a separation of the rubber from the current. Y

3. The method of separately recovering rubber and ber from scrap which comprises shredding said scrap, propelling the shredded material in an air current, selectively neem/e5 separating the rubber particles therefrom, and then removing the ber particles from the air current by centrifugal action.

4f. The method otseparately recovering rubber and ber from scrap which comprises disintegrating said scrap, propelling the resulting mixture downward with an air curmeans for separating the ber particles out of said air current.

G. ln a rubber-ber reclaiming apparatus, the combination of a shredder, a conduit having a tan blower for carrying away the shredded material, and a separator having means for receiving and discharging the air current and for abruptly changing its direction to separate the rubber particles from the current.

7. ln a rubber-ber reclaiming apparatus, the combination of a shredder, an oil"- take conduit leading therefrom and having means for creating an air current, a rubber separator in the course of said conduit, and a Cyclonic ber separator in the course of the conduit posterior to said rubber separator.

8. ln a 'rubber-ber reclaiming apparatus,

the combination of a shredder, an otake conduit leading therefrom and having a fanA blower, a gravity rubber separator and a ber separator serially positioned in said conduit, and a valve in the conduit between said separators for regulating the speed of the air current in the rubber separator.

9. Apparatus for separately reclaiming rubber and ber from scrap comprising means for disintegrating said scrap, chamber, a conduit leading from said disintcgrating means and passing downward into said chamber, a. conduit leadingupward out of said chambenand means posterior to said chamber for separating ber from an air current passing through said conduit.

10. Apparatus for separately reclaiming rubber and ber from scrap comprisingmeans for disintegrating said scrap., a chamber having an open bottom, a. conduit ieading from said disintegrating means and passing downward into said chamber, a conduit leading upward out 'of said chamber,`

and an endless carrier adapted substantially to close the bottom of said chamber but 12e to receive and carry material therefrom.

l1. Apparatus for separately reclaiming rubber 'and ber from Ascrap comprising means for disintegrating said scrap, a chamber, a conduit leading from said disintegrating mea-ns and passing downward into said chamber,V a conduit leading upWardvouil of said chamber, means for removing ma'- terial from the bottom of said chamber without substantially opening said chamber to the outer air, and means for agitating the material within said chamber. v

In testimony whereof We have hereunto 10 set our hands this 16th day of June, 1920.

CHARLES W. KHLER.` HARRY A. HOFFMAN. WALTER B. FREEMAN. 

